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| The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner | 15 Review(s) |
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| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/14/2005 |
| An excellent chapter - Almaros' PTSD and survivor guilt is convincingly written. I hadn't thought of Aragorn as knowing survivor guilt; but there are times, particularly when he was young, when he would have been shielded and men would have died while he was kept safe, since he was the last hope of Isildur's line and the Northern Dunedain. And Frodo's interaction with Almaros is well done too; Almaros desperately needed to meet the Ringbearer who had given him hope while he walked into what was, for Almaros, the valley of the shadow of death. There was a nice intertwining of the three stories and their sorrows, of Almaros, Frodo and Aragorn. There were probably several hundred others among the forces of Rohan and Gondor who felt the same horror and sorrow after the victory over Sauron (I personally wonder at the thoughts of those who survived Faramir's mission to the outwalls and that terrible retreat across the Pelennor against overwhelming odds), but obviously you can't tell all of their stories. Author Reply: I see Almaros as representative of all who came out of the War of the Rings suffering from PTSD and survival guilt, and suspect the number was actually pretty large, although in time most would work through it much as Tolkien himself did. And that you realize that Aragorn himself probably suffered from similar feelings early in his career makes me more sure I did properly in writing this chapter. Thanks for the comments. | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/14/2005 |
| This is another one of those chapters that you do so wonderfully well. It doesn't advance the plot, but you introduce this new character and his situation so well and so absorbingly that it doesn't matter. Reading this story, I almost feel like I'm getting the guided tour of postWar Minas Tirith, really getting in there to watch the city rebuild. Author Reply: Almaros is representative of all those who suffered from varying levels of PTSD and survivor guilt after the war was over, and serves as a means for Frodo to expernalize his own guilt somewhat. It helps in the long run for Frodo in accepting his own healing, although immediately it has little obvious effect. But to realize that he is not alone in the feelings he has is necessary. This is another smaller story described to Ruvemir in "The King's Commission," and I was trying to figure out precisely where in the timeline of the post-quest it might fit, and found it fit here. That you find this both believable and desirable in spite of not advancing the plot noticeably is flattering. Thank you. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/14/2005 |
| Frodo could think of no argument to counter the voice that spoke in his heart. He has no argument but does he believe it yet! In one of my most 'down' times of my life I had constant arguments with this same voice. But to me the voice was ringing in my head. I believed it too but I just couldn't get the belief to move from my head to my heart or emotional self. I suppose what I am trying to say is thanks for putting the voice in. And thanks, too, for fleshing out yet another character this chapter is great. Now, I'm off to huddle under the covers with a hot-water bottle. I've managed to catch a cold off a dear friend and I am feeling decidedly icky! The sugar levels are suffering too. Could you send one of the healers over please? Either Aragorn or Frodo will do. But if they are busy, (looking for saplings or something,) then I could manage with an elven twin or two or even Eldamir if he isn't too busy with a new baby at home. Just don't send Ioreth! My head is aching already. Author Reply: You poor thing. You have my great niece giggling about sending over any handy healer. She's four, and already is developing quite the sense of humor. Take care, and take your vitamin C. That you, too, have had such experiences in arguing with the voice of reason that seeks to lead you to spiritual health indicates that what I've written for Frodo is realistic. At times I, too, have found the arguments going on. That you recognize that the heart can accept the truth so much more reluctantly than the rational mind is certainly in line with my own experience, although it sounds as if you have more intimate experience than I do with the process. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/14/2005 |
| A very good account of PTSD, and how it can eat away at a person. I like the way Frodo asserted his authority without any hesitation at all, and the way in which he was listened to. This is the Frodo I like to see--in spite of his pain, and his own tortured spirit--strong and wise for the sake of others. On the one hand, it was his own suffering from this self-same thing, this feeling of failure and guilt that enabled him to understand and help; yet on the other, he could not seem to be able to apply this to himself. Yet anytime it concerns the well-being of others, he will assert his strength. Such a sad paradox. Author Reply: Yes, I suspect that in Frodo it was indeed a matter of being better able to deal with others than with himself. It was indeed a very sad paradox, but a part of his nature as well as a sign of how very deeply the Ring had left him damaged. So glad you appreciate it, Dreamflower. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 12/14/2005 |
| the house for troubled spirits What a gentle, accurate term. I love that. "For one who had never thought to serve as a warrior to choose to seek to protect others, and to make it to stand before the gates to Mordor in the end, that showed far greater courage than you can yet appreciate. Even if you never struck a blow against the enemy at all, you yet showed far greater courage and self-mastery than many who had trained in the armies for years who could not bring themselves to stand against their greatest fears." Beautiful. Being present at this man's healing (and being part of it) definitely was of assistance to Frodo's own spirit. Author Reply: I couldn't think of a better description of it and stay true to Tolkien's own vision of Middle Earth. Psychiatry wasn't invented yet; and certainly the brain science of today as we begin to appreciate the intricacies of perception, feeling, and the subtle chemistry of emotional disorders wasn't known. Yet I think they'd have had some kind of special treatment for those who showed signs of emotional problems and what today would be recognized as psychiatric disorders, probably involving a great deal of kindness and gentle treatment. Whether or not Frodo will apply what he sees in Almaros's healing to himself, of course, is another matter altogether. | |